The Darkness of a Lantern
by muse-in-waiting
Summary: "I know your questions; I hear them all the time. How could you do it? What sort of father abandons his children in the woods? Where is he now?" A father's look at leaving his children. Bit of spoilers but I don't think there's so much that the movie is ruined. Most of them are in the second part.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own the characters. I just saw the movie and got this in my head. There's death involved, and fire. So if you don't like either, you know and can find another story to read.

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I know your questions; I hear them all the time. How could you do it? What sort of father abandons his children in the woods? Where is he now? I can't answer that last one, haven't been able to for years. All I know is that it's dark and that I have to keep moving. If I stop, there's nothing I can do except replay the memories that haven't begun to fade. That day is one of the most frequent.

Our family was a happy one, not to say it was perfect but we loved each other and suffered the trials together. It was just the four of us: me, my wonderful wife, dear Hansel and darling Gretel. They looked so much like their mother, though Adrianna swore they grew more like me every passing day.

I forget how it started, famine, disease, death. It was enough to drive to dire states. The word 'witch' began to sprout up, spreading like a fire with every new occurrence. The tension could be felt every time I went into town for anything. We knew that something was going to happen, but we never imagined anything as bad as what occurred.

The tension soon gave way to fear. And from that fear, anger. For whatever reasons they had, we were the culprits of their troubles. There was no reasoning with them. Once they thought something, little could be done to change it. All you could do was get out of the way.

That night I learned that they were coming, men with torches and fury in their hearts. What the aim of this venture was I still am not certain, but it was not one of peace.

I arrived home as quickly as I could. Adrianna knew what was happening the moment I walked in. She got the children up. They both were tired and confused. I told them I was taking them on a hunting trip. The lie did not last long. Once the house was out of sight, Hansel asked where my gun was.

Here the memory is clearest. From the darkness the world outside of the lantern's glow to the paleness of Gretel's skin in the cold night air. There had not even been time to grab a jacket. The silence is what I recall the most. They didn't laugh or smile as they always had. It was as though they could tell something was wrong.

Once we were deep enough, I stopped and told them to stay put. They pleaded, begged me not to leave them. I had never yelled at them before, scolded and chastised but never like I did then. I could not even recognize the almost heartlessness that ordered them to stay. It frightened me far more than it did them.

I turned to take one last look at them, both frightened with nothing but the clothes on their back and innocence. Had I known what was ahead, I would not have blown the lantern out. I would have stayed with them and been by their side for as long as I could. But how could I?

I tried not to think about it as I journeyed back. It was as I got closer to the house I realized I could see. There was a light coming from the house, a strong one. I quickened my step, praying what I thought wasn't true. It was. The men had arrived.

They had not even had the decency to give her trial. The fire burned, blazed in front of our doorstep. Whatever remained of my sweet Adrianna could not even be seen beyond the smoke and flames. I fought them off, some emotional mixture of grieve and love compelling me to get to her. I never made it.

If I try hard enough, I can still feel the rope around my neck. Their cheers slowly fade to a silence worse than what had ever existed in the woods. Time begins to slow, though even their faces fade eventually. The flames of the stake soon begin to wipe them from view. All I can do is pray- pray that they remain satisfied with this, that they don't go through the woods in search of Hansel and Gretel. They are the last thing on my mind as the fire disappears.

I suppose I can answer that question after all. I am dead, nothing more than a spirit. The remains of a man in search of those he loves, a father who is still wants to learn of what happened to his son and daughter.

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AN: So my friend read this and thought it should be continued. I like it as is but we agreed we'd get your opinions. Just send a review with your thoughts. Thanks.


	2. Chapter 2

So here it is ladies and gents. There's more spoilers in the part but nothing that ruins the movie I think.

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"HANSEL!"

Hansel instinctively gripped the knife in his side. He was barely aware of the floor rising up to meet him as the witch tossed him down to the witch lair below. A coldness was beginning to flow through him, starting at his limbs and making its way to the pool of warmth around the wound.

Somewhere in his fleeting consciousness, he knew he was dying. They always knew that this was something that could happen. Hell, it almost did at their first encounter. Somehow, even after all his close calls, he wasn't ready.

It wasn't supposed to end like this. The witches still had the children, were about to start some witchy form of the end of the world, and worst of all, they had his sister. Gretel…damnit. Despite everything, it was failing her that hurt the most. Her scream still echoed in his ears. The look on her face stared at him as his eyes fluttered shut.

Then, it was gone.

All of it: the pain, the coldness, even the last remains of his sister's memory- all gone. And in their place was..nothing.

Almost like a weight was lifted off them, his eyes flew open. Or at least he thought they did. Everything around him was black. Somehow, he was on his feet and shuffling forward. There was something ahead, something he had to get to.

A soft light appeared in the furthest point of his vision. It was warm, and friendly, almost welcoming. It was wonderful, uplifting, prefect. The feelings were interrupted by a strange but familiar pressure on his shoulder.

"No, not again." That voice was almost too lifelike, too familiar to be real.

The shadow moved in front of him, blocking the light. Hansel brought his eyes up to glare at the figure. What gave them the right to keep him from going reaching the warmth that was waiting for him?

"It's not your time yet." The voice answered right on cue, as though they were inside his head. "You still have things to do, remember?"

It all came back as suddenly as it left. His head pounded as the memories flooded back all at once. The town, the witches, the kids, the house-"Gretel!"

"Yes, Gretel. Your sister needs you." The man, now more recognizably human as the light behind him began to fade, rose a hand to point back into the black void.

Hansel didn't waste any time running back in that direction. There would be time to rest later. Now, now he was needed more than ever. He turned back once to send his gratitude but his blood ran cold at the sight.

The man behind him was in simple outdoors clothing, holding a lantern that was almost as bright as his smile. Not a day's difference since that night in the woods. "Father?"

"Set their asses on fire for me." Just like their last memory, Hansel watched his father blow out the lantern and leave him alone in dark. Only this time, he didn't feel abandoned.

Though, it might've been because of the coldness that came back to his limbs. His head spun and as much as he tried to fight it, he began to lose consciousness again. Falling was the last thing he felt before his eyes shut and he blacked out once more.

His eyes felt heavier as he started to open them. He felt groggy and unfocused. He let his head by moved so someone could put a bowl to his lips and-

Hansel knocked the bowl out of their hand and grabbed their wrist. It took a moment to recognize who the redhead was. "Mina?"

The mind slowly began to remember the…dream? It was too clear for that but it was far from a memory. He frantically glanced around the cave, eyes landing on the powders and candles scattered around the room. His legs thankfully began to lift him. He wasn't sure whether it was to stand up or get some space between him and what happened. "What did you do? Mina?"

The events of the night before came back to him as well. He checked a bleeding wound had once been on his side. Only a scar remained of the memory. There was only one explanation that could make come to his mind. "You're a witch?"

He stood where he was. It wasn't like he could really go anywhere. What she said, about good witches, it actually made some sense. Maybe so, but there were still bad witches out there. The ones who killed his parents, who threatened lives and who still had his sister. Nothing was going to keep him from getting her back. And who knows, he might be able to light up a few in the meantime.


End file.
